Bridge pickup for Fender Toronado

[Oceano]

Hey guys it's been a while hope all is well out there.

I'm in need of some suggestions for what to pickup to put in Fender toronado (alder body/24.75" rosewood neck). I thought the original fender atomic bridge pickup was too bright and harsh. I've since tried a Burstbucker 3 (kinda boring in this guitar, but amazing in my LP), a pg-1 (way insanely bright, but mine seems a bit under wound), and what currently sits in there just cuz i had it a GFS classic II. I play a 5150 through a marshall 1960a in a couple different hardcore projects that play a couple times a month. However, I also would like to be able to use this guitar to play mellower styles of music. I hardly ever play on the bridge squeeky clean so cleans aren't a priority.

I'm at my wits end with all the possible options out there from duncan and dimarzio and am looking for something I could find on the used market pretty easily. Help me SDUGF you're my only hope!

 

[Oceano]

Re: Bridge pickup for Fender Toronado

I forgot to mention I've been looking at the JB and the Dimarzio Super D because they're so popular and readily available. My concern is that the JB will have the nastiness everyone talks about on this forum, but maybe not since the scale is a bit shorter, and the guitar is alder. And with the Super D I guess I just don't know if it will be too over the top with bass and low mids.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Bridge pickup for Fender Toronado

The thing is with the JB...if you never try it in YOUR guitar, you'll never know. It could be just the thing you need! It has the output of the Atomic humbucker, but a much more fluid top end and better sounding harmonics. I find the JB to be a lot more expressive than the Atomic, as well. Most of the issues players have with the JB come down to their unwillingness to fine-tune the pickup and/or their amp set up.

The Super D is another good choice. Don't worry, it really isn't overbearing in the bass/low-mids (you're probably thinking of the Tone Zone). The Super D is a bit thicker sounding than the JB, but still has a nice, open-feeling top end. If you're worried about the JB being too bright, go with the Super D.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Bridge pickup for Fender Toronado

I have an Atomic and a JB. They are both very similar. The JB has a prominent upper mid that I don't dig. The atomic is simply less focused, harsher and brighter. The JB will be fatter, but it is not a tight pickup in relation to other hot pickups.

I just by chance took a shot and put a Dimarzio D-activator in my HSS Strat and WOW!
This guitar used to be thin harsh and anemic sounding with every pickup in the bridge. Now it packs a seriously thick crunch and wollup. It has singing highs that are not buzzy or harsh. And the mids are clear, present and not blurry like the JB. Great output too.

I'd look into it if I were you. Especially for a Fender guitar that might need some added muscle.

 

[Oceano]

Re: Bridge pickup for Fender Toronado

The thing is with the JB...if you never try it in YOUR guitar, you'll never know. It could be just the thing you need! It has the output of the Atomic humbucker, but a much more fluid top end and better sounding harmonics. I find the JB to be a lot more expressive than the Atomic, as well. Most of the issues players have with the JB come down to their unwillingness to fine-tune the pickup and/or their amp set up.

The Super D is another good choice. Don't worry, it really isn't overbearing in the bass/low-mids (you're probably thinking of the Tone Zone). The Super D is a bit thicker sounding than the JB, but still has a nice, open-feeling top end. If you're worried about the JB being too bright, go with the Super D.

How's the bottom end on the jb? I want to be able to get some chunky rhythms for the heavy stuff I do but again not overbearing when I back off the gain to play some zeppelin or something. I'm leaning more towards the jb at this point just because if the versatility factor you always hear about. I'm also no stranger to tweaking heights and pole pieces to make stuff work.

 

[Oceano]

Re: Bridge pickup for Fender Toronado

I have an Atomic and a JB. They are both very similar. The JB has a prominent upper mid that I don't dig. The atomic is simply less focused, harsher and brighter. The JB will be fatter, but it is not a tight pickup in relation to other hot pickups.

I just by chance took a shot and put a Dimarzio D-activator in my HSS Strat and WOW!
This guitar used to be thin harsh and anemic sounding with every pickup in the bridge. Now it packs a seriously thick crunch and wollup. It has singing highs that are not buzzy or harsh. And the mids are clear, present and not blurry like the JB. Great output too.

I'd look into it if I were you. Especially for a Fender guitar that might need some added muscle.

I feel like the deactivators might be a bit too modern sounding all the time. How do they clean up?

 

[Scott Olson]

Re: Bridge pickup for Fender Toronado

Oceano, if you are going with the JB you might consider asking your favorite music store to shop floor custom order a JB-8 for extra beef and tightness in the bottom end.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Bridge pickup for Fender Toronado

I feel like the deactivators might be a bit too modern sounding all the time. How do they clean up?

They aren't any more modern sounding than the Atomic or JB. Don't get hung up on the fact they are designed with active pickup qualities. That just means they have increased clarity and clean, clear note separation. Remember, Eric Clapton uses actives too.

 

[Oceano]

Re: Bridge pickup for Fender Toronado

They aren't any more modern sounding than the Atomic or JB. Don't get hung up on the fact they are designed with active pickup qualities. That just means they have increased clarity and clean, clear note separation. Remember, Eric Clapton uses actives too.

The only reason I figured that is because all of their literature makes it seem like its a replacement for emg81/85 which are basically only really useful for metal type tones. This makes my decision even harder lol.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Bridge pickup for Fender Toronado

The only reason I figured that is because all of their literature makes it seem like its a replacement for emg81/85 which are basically only really useful for metal type tones. This makes my decision even harder lol.

Yeah they do make it sound like that. The DA has a lot more lows, highs and mids than the 81. Ive been rolling the volume back tonight and it doesn't thin out like other hot buckers do, you can cop decent PAF type tone with the volume at 6-7. Another option to consider if you are worried about the moderness of the DA, is either the SD 59 or Pearly Gates. Great pickups that are still fairly hot but dont venture into that modern voicing.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Bridge pickup for Fender Toronado

I think Scott Olson is on the right track...

However, if you don't want to order a JB as a "shop floor custom" with an A8 (Alnico 8) magnet already installed or do the simple mag-swap yourself, you should take a look at the production "Alternative 8". It can cover a lot of musical styles with a generous turn of the volume knob. It retains a good amount of that JB-like fluidity when soloing up high, but has more punch and growl down low. The bottom is fuller, but also a bit tighter than the JB, which you would probably appreciate. The mids are well balanced, but still have enough "bloom" to be expressive. The high notes seem to have more girth to them, but manage to cut through nicely. Harmonics are killer, as well.

The original D-Activator is a nice pickup, but I found it to be a little "unexciting". Worked great through an effects rack, but didn't have a lot of personality straight through my tube amps. Also, it CAN be a bit bright/harsh in some guitars. This complaint is why DiMarzio developed the D-Activator "X" series shortly after releasing the original D-Activators.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Bridge pickup for Fender Toronado

Super D dude, Super D.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Bridge pickup for Fender Toronado

The original D-Activator is a nice pickup, but I found it to be a little "unexciting". Worked great through an effects rack, but didn't have a lot of personality straight through my tube amps. Also, it CAN be a bit bright/harsh in some guitars. This complaint is why DiMarzio developed the D-Activator "X" series shortly after releasing the original D-Activators.

Actually, the D-Activator X was developed simply as an expansion of the original, not to correct any supposed complaints. The X's coils are tuned to enhance different freqs and the X has increased output over the original. In reality, it is more akin to an XN2, only with the added D-Activator qualities, the main point being retaining immense clarity under the hottest applications.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Bridge pickup for Fender Toronado

The original D Activator is a VERY solid pickup. I don't mean to suggest it's not. In most guitar's it's actually a very neutral choice, not too bright, and, with the right setup, sounds absolutely crushing. However, I didn't find it as versatile or expressive as I needed. If it works for you, rock it! Suggesting it was certainly a good thing.

I will say the similarities between the D-Activator "X" and the X2N stop at the rail configuration and relatively high output. Your original D Activator is closer to the X2N tonally than the "X" model. It's not very far behind on output, either. The D-Activator "X" is more warmly voiced with much less top-end presence than the other two.